Research ArticleAntistaphylococcal Activity and Phytochemical Analysis of CrudeExtracts of Five Medicinal Plants Used in the Center ofMorocco against Dermatitis

Ikrame Zeouk , Mounyr Balouiri, and Khadija Bekhti

Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University,Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, B.P. 2202 Imouzzer Road, Fez, Morocco

Correspondence should be addressed to Ikrame Zeouk; ikramezeouk20@gmail.com

Received 15 June 2019; Revised 14 October 2019; Accepted 22 October 2019; Published 4 November 2019

Academic Editor: Clemencia Chaves-Lopez

Copyright © 2019 Ikrame Zeouk et al.,is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Novel drugs for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) hospital- and community-acquired infections are neededbecause of the emergence of resistance against antibiotics. In this study, methanolic and aqueous extracts of Berberis hispanica,Crataegus oxyacantha, Cistus salviifolius, Ephedra altissima, and Lavandula dentata selected from an ethnopharmacological studyto treat skin infections in Sefrou city (Center of Morocco) were tested for their antistaphylococcal activity against strains ofteninvolved in cutaneous disorders: two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains and one strain of Staphylococcus epi-dermidis using the well-diffusion assay, while the agar macrodilution method was used to determine the minimal inhibitoryconcentrations. ,e total phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents of all tested extracts were also evaluated. ,ree of the fivemethanolic extracts showed an important antibacterial activity. Berberis hispanica extract was the most active with a minimalinhibitory concentration of 04.00mg/ml against all tested strains, followed byCistus salviifolius andCrataegus oxyacantha extractscontaining the highest amounts of total phenols (133.83± 9.03 and 140.67± 3.17 μg equivalent of gallic acid/mg of extract).However, the aqueous extracts have not shown any activity against the tested strains. ,e current data suggested that the mostactive extracts can be a good source of natural antistaphylococcal compounds and warrants further investigations to isolatebioactive molecules.

1. Introduction

,e Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus is a notoriouspathogen responsible for diverse infections ranging fromacute diseases such as skin abscesses, impetigo, and fu-runculosis [1, 2] to severe chronic infections [3, 4]. Due tomultiple virulence factors, S. aureus can attach to host tissuesand cause serious diseases. For example, toxigenic strains ofthis pathogen have been responsible for staphylococcal-scaled skin syndrome through the diffusion of the exfoliativetoxins [5] and for necrotizing pneumonia through the se-cretion of Panton-Valentine leukocidin pore-forming toxin[6]. Among pathogenic Staphylococcus genus, S. epidermidisbacteria has also gained substantial interest since it is themost important cause of nosocomial infections. Contrary toS. aureus, S. epidermidis produces a limited number of toxins

[7], and it was reported that only one toxin (the hemolyticpeptide δ-toxin) has been involved in necrotizing entero-colitis in neonates [8]. It was suggested that the ability of S.epidermidis to adhere to surfaces andmaterials and to persistthere declares it as a pathogen [7]. After the treatment failureof penicillins and semisynthetic penicillins, vancomycin hasbeen the agent of choice to treat methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections [9]. Un-fortunately, multiresistance and toxicity of this antibioticcannot be negligible [10, 11] and make the management ofall those bacterial infections increasingly difficult which is amajor prevalent worldwide cause of healthcare [12] and asignificant cause of global morbidity and mortality [13]. ,issituation entails intensified efforts to develop alternativetreatment. Natural substances could constitute a prominentsource of new antibacterial molecules knowing that 75% of

HindawiInternational Journal of MicrobiologyVolume 2019, Article ID 1803102, 7 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1803102

drugs against infectious diseases are natural products ornatural derived products [14]. In the central north of Mo-rocco, the geographical situation and the mild climate ofSefrou area make this city very rich in flora, shelteringvarious plants with medicinal properties. ,e most potent ofthese plants, Berberis hispanica, Crataegus oxyacantha,Cistus salviifolius, Ephedra altissima, and Lavandula dentatawere subjected to the in vitro antistaphylococcal activity andphytochemical quantification. ,ese plants are frequentlyused by local population to treat skin infections and knownto possess several biological activities including antibacterialeffect [15–18]. However, to best of our knowledge, E.altissima has never been reported for its antibacterial potent.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Plant Selection. ,e five studied plants were selectedfrom an ethnopharmacological study undertaken in Sefroucity (Center of Morocco) [19]. Based on the calculatedfrequency index, the five plants were the most cited byherbalists to cure skin infections, and the used parts werealso prescribed by herbalists (Table 1). Moreover, the studiedplants are commonly known by the good antibacterial ac-tivities except for E. altissima species that has not beenreported in the literature.

2.2. Plant Collection and Identification. Plants were pur-chased in February 2016 from the Atlas Mountains in theImouzzer region (Morocco). Scientific names of species wereidentified by a specialist following “Morocco Flora” [20] andthe endemic flora of Morocco [21]. Voucher specimens weredeposited in the Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology inthe Faculty of Sciences and Techniques in Sidi MohamedBen Abdellah University of Fez, Morocco.

2.3. Extract Preparation. To obtain the crude extracts, twomethods have been used: decoction to prepare aqueousextract and maceration to get the methanolic extract.

2.3.1. Decoction. ,e decoction method described byKengni et al. [22] has been used, the leaves of C. oxyacantha,C. salviifolius, and L. dentata and the roots of E. altissimaand B. hispanica were grounded, 25 g of the powder of eachplant was introduced in 250ml of distilled water, and themixture was boiled for 15min, cooled, and filtered throughWhatman n°1 paper and then evaporated under vacuumusing a rotatory evaporator. ,e extracts were stored in arefrigerator at 4°C until further use.

2.3.2. Maceration. ,e extraction method described pre-viously [23, 24] has been used with a slight modification.Briefly, 25 g of the powder of each plant was macerated in250ml of methanol under agitation of 500 rpm at roomtemperature for 6 h. ,e resulting mixture was filtered usingWhatman filter paper n°1 and then evaporated under vac-uum. ,e residue obtained has been delipidated by hexanemaceration (1 :10 w/v) under agitation at room temperaturefor some minutes in order to eliminate lipids. Dried deli-pidated extracts were stored in a refrigerator at 4°C untilfurther use.

2.4. Antibacterial Testing

2.4.1. Target Microorganisms. ,e in vitro anti-staphylococcal effect of both methanolic and aqueous ex-tracts was tested against three strains of Staphylococcusincluding S. aureus ATCC 29213, S. aureus (clinical isolate),and S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, often involved in skininfections. ,ese strains were maintained in 20% glycerol at20°C as stock.,e antibiogram profile of strains’ bacteria wasidentified at the laboratory of bacteriology in the UniversityHealth Center-Fez, Morocco (Table 2).

2.4.2. Inoculum Preparation. Revivification of bacteria hasbeen performed by subculturing the agar plate surfaceLuria–Bertani (LB) prepoured in petri dishes and incubatedat 37°C for 18 to 24 h. ,e microbial inoculums were ob-tained from fresh colonies using the direct colony suspen-sion method. Hence, 1 to 2 colonies were suspended in asterile saline (NaCl 0.9%) and compared with 0.5 McFarlandstandard to obtain standardized inoculums (108 CFU/ml).

2.4.3. Agar Well-Diffusion Method. As described by Balouiriet al. [25], the entire agar surface of the petri dish was in-oculated spreading 1ml of bacterial inoculums. ,e seedingof these inoculums was done to ensure a homogeneousdistribution of bacteria. Aseptically, excess liquid waseliminated using a Pasteur pipette, and the plates were dried.After 30min of the drying process in ambient temperature, ahole with a diameter of 6mm was punched aseptically usinga tip.,e extract solution was filtrated, and then 80 μl of eachsterile stock (50mg/ml: extract/distillate water) was in-troduced into each well. Finally, agar plates were incubatedfor 24 h at 37°C. Distillated water was used as negativecontrol, while ampicillin (100 μg/ml) was used as positivecontrol. After measuring the diameter of inhibition zonesaround the well, the means were calculated. Tests wereperformed in triplicate.

A threshold was fixed: extracts with a diameter superiorsuch as 10mm were considered as active, and they weresubjected to the determination of the minimum inhibitoryconcentration.

2.4.4. Determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concen-tration (MIC). ,e MIC was determined using the agardilution method as described by Balouiri et al. [25]. ,e

Table 1: ,e studied plants.

Plants (scientific name) Family Used partsBerberis hispanica Boiss. & Reut. Berberidaceae RootsCrataegus oxyacantha L. Rosaceae LeavesCistus salviifolius L. Cistaceae LeavesEphedra altissima Desf. Ephedraceae RootsLavandula dentata L. Lamiaceae Leaves

2 International Journal of Microbiology

method is based on the incorporation of varying concen-trations of the extracts such as antimicrobial agent into theagar medium before its solidification. Different concentra-tions of each extract (ranging from 50 to 160mg/ml perfactor of 2) were prepared in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)(20%), and 1ml of each dilution was incorporated in 9ml ofsterile and soft LB as a medium culture. ,e mixture wasgrounded carefully and aseptically and then distributed intopetri dishes. After the medium’s solidification and from asuspension adjusted to 105UFC/ml, spots of 5 μl were de-posited aseptically on the agar surface. ,e dishes wereincubated for 24 h at 37°C. A growth control was preparedwithout plant extracts.

2.4.5. Target Strain Susceptibility Testing. ,e antibiogramprofile of the target bacterial strains used in this study wasevaluated against sixteen antibiotics belonging to variousfamilies including penicillins, cephalosporins, glycopeptides,macrolides, tetracyclines, polypeptides, as well as a penicillincombination (ampicillin/clavulanate) and other antibiotics(fusidic acid and pristinamycin).

,e standardized disk-diffusion method was performedas described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards In-stitute [26]. Briefly, inoculums have been prepared by adirect colony suspension (in sterile physiologic saline) fromsubcultures of the target strains on theMueller–Hinton Agar(MHA) plates and then adjusted to the 0.5 McFarland scale.Sterile MHA plates were inoculated with the bacterialstrains, and the commercial antibiotic disks were depositedaseptically on the agar surface. After incubation at 35°C for16 to 18 h, the diameters of the inhibition zones weremeasured in mm and the strains were categorized accordingto the published standards [27].

2.4.6. Total Phenolic Quantification. ,e total phenolicquantification was carried out using the Folin–Ciocalteureagent by introducing 1.5ml of this reagent (10%) in 200 μlof extract (1mg/ml methanol), and the mixture was agitated

carefully and allowed to react for 5min in dark, followed byaddition of 1.5ml of sodium carbonate (5%). After 2 hours ofincubation in dark at room temperature, values weremeasured using a UV-visible spectrophotometer at 750 nm.Under the same conditions, a calibration range was madeusing gallic acid with different concentrations ranging be-tween 300 μg/ml and 25 μg/ml. ,e total phenolic contentwas expressed as μg gallic acid equivalents per mg dry weightof extract (eq GA/mg of E). ,e test was performed intriplicate.

2.4.7. Total Flavonoid Quantification. ,e flavonoid contentwas determined as described by Bahorun et al. [28] 0.5ml ofeach extract was mixed with 0.1ml of aluminium chloride(10%), 0.1ml of potassium acetate (1M), and 4.3ml ofdistillated water; after a vigorous agitation, the mixture wasincubated for 30min in ambient temperature. DO’s valueswere measured using a UV-visible spectrophotometer at415 nm. Flavonoid content was expressed as μg quercetinequivalents per mg dry weight of extract (eq Que/mg of E)using a calibration range from 25 to 300 μg/ml. ,e test wasperformed in triplicate.

2.5. Statistical Analysis. ,e results were presented as meanvalues± Standard deviation (SD), and statistical analyzeswere performed using ANOVA by IBM SPSS Statistics 21.Differences at P< 0.05 were considered statisticallysignificant.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Antibacterial Activity Assay. ,e antibiogram of theclinical isolates and reference strains (Table 1) was de-termined at the laboratory of bacteriology UHC- Fez.According to the National Committee for Clinical Labo-ratory Standards (NCCLS), S. epidermidis is susceptible to allantibiotics, except tetracycline and colistin, while S. aureusATCC 29213 and S. aureus (clinical isolate) are resistant to

Table 2: Antibiogram profile of the target bacterial strains.

Antibiotic family Antibiotic Dose per disk (μg) S. epidermidis S. aureus ATCC 29213S. aureus clinical isolate

Penicillins

Penicillin 10 units Susceptible ResistantAmpicillin 10 Susceptible ResistantAmoxicillin 20 Susceptible ResistantOxacillin 1 Susceptible ResistantMethicillin 5 Susceptible Resistant

Penicillin combinations Amoxicillin/Clavulanate 20/10 Susceptible Resistant

Cephalosporins Ceftriaxone 30 Susceptible ResistantCeftazidime 30 Susceptible Resistant

Glycopeptides Vancomycin 30 Susceptible SusceptibleTeicoplanin 30 Susceptible Susceptible

Macrolides Erythromycin 15 Susceptible ResistantSpiramycin 15 Susceptible Resistant

Tetracyclines Tetracycline 30 Resistant SusceptiblePolypeptides Colistin 10 Resistant Resistant

Others Fusidic acid 10 Susceptible ResistantPristinamycin 10 Susceptible Susceptible

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all tested antibiotics except vancomycin, teicoplanin, tet-racycline, and pristinamycin. Both these S. aureus strains aremethicillin resistant (MRSA). Indeed, MRSA bacteria havebecome a major health problem in both nosocomial andcommunity-acquired infections [29, 30]. New effective an-timicrobials are needed; natural products can be a source ofpotential antimicrobial agents against S. aureus, especiallyMRSA. Five medicinal plants (Table 2) were selected from anethnopharmacological study in the Center of Morocco (datanot shown). ,e data pertaining to the in vitro anti-staphyloccocal activity of the crude extracts are presented inTables 3 and 4. Based on these tables, the antibacterial ac-tivity is varied upon the plant extracts, the solvent, and thetarget microorganism. ,e aqueous extracts have not shownany inhibitory effect, while the methanolic extracts wereactive against all the tested strains. ,e methanolic extract ofB. hispanicawas themost active against all tested strains witha MIC of 4.00mg/ml, followed by C. oxyacantha and C.salviifolius which is in accordance with the diameters ofinhibition zones (ranging between 18.50± 0.70 and12.50± 0.50mm). ,e methanolic extracts of E. altissimaroots and L. dentata leaves have shown a very weak activity,and the diameters of inhibition zones did not exceed11.50± 0.50mm. In addition to that, MRSA clinical isolatewas more resistant to plant extracts than MRSA referencestrain.,e good activities of B. hispanica, C. oxyacantha, andC. salviifolius are in agreement with previous investigations.,e antistaphylococcal activity of B. hispanica root extract is

in accordance with a previous study, and it has been reportedthat the ethanolic extract of B. hispanica roots was activeagainst S. aureus [15]. Mahmoudi et al. [31] have confirmedthe antibacterial activity of the hydroalcoholic extract of C.salviifolius leaves against S. aureus ATCC 29213 with a MICof 12.50mg/ml. Moreover, Rebaya et al. [32] have shownthat the ethanolic extract prepared from the arial part of C.salviifolius was active against various microorganisms, in-cluding S. aureus, and one of the leaves was more efficientagainst S. aureus (MIC= 1.562mg/ml). ,is result showsthat the used part is an important factor influencing thebiological activity in addition to the nature of solvent, andGuvenç et al. [33] have confirmed that the extracts of C.salviifolius leaves and fruits exhibit varied antistaphylococcalactivity with respect to the nature of solvents (water,methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and remainingaqueous extract). ,is result confirms the obtained data: themethanolic extract of C. salviifolius was active, while theaqueous extract was not. Stelmakiene et al. [34] have shownthat the aqueous extract prepared from the leaves of C.oxyacantha has revealed moderate antistaphylococcal ac-tivity against S. aureus and S. epidermidis (inhibition zoneswere 9 and 9.5mm, respectively), while the compoundsextracted from the leaves of C. oxyacantha were not activecontrary to our results [35]. To the best of our knowledge,the antibacterial activity of neither the root extract of E.altissima nor the crude extract of L. dentata has beenreported.

3.2. Quantitative Phytochemical Composition. ,e studiedextracts were subjected to a phytochemical quantification of

Table 3: Antibacterial screening of plant extracts by the agar well-diffusion method.

Extract S.epidermidis S. aureus S. aureus ATCC

29213Aqueousextracts

B. hispanica — — —C. oxyacantha — — —C. salviifolius — — —E. altissima — — —L. dentata — — —

Methanolextracts

B. hispanica 16.50± 0.50 12.50± 0.70 18.50± 0.70C. oxyacantha 15.50± 0.50 12.50± 0.50 12.50± 0.70C. salviifolius 13.50± 0.50 12.50± 0.50 13.00± 1.40E. altissima 11.50± 0.50 10.50± 0.50 07.50± 0.50L. dentata 10.50± 0.50 — 09.50± 0.50

Results are expressed as diameters of growth inhibition zones (mm) in-cluding the hole diameter (6.00mm).

Table 4: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (mg/ml) of the mostactive studied extracts.

Targetmicroorganisms

Methanol extractsB.

hispanicaC.

oxyacanthaC.

salviifoliusS. epidermidis 04.00 08.00 08.00S. aureus 04.00 16.00 04.00S. aureusATCC 29213 04.00 08.00 08.00

Table 5: Total phenolic contents of the aqueous and methanolextracts.

PlantTotal phenolic contents (μg equivalent

of gallic acid/mg of extract) t-testMethanol extracts Aqueous extracts

C. salviifolius 133.83± 9.03a 80.29± 4.16a 0.001C. oxyacantha 140.67± 3.17a 51.96± 3.19b 0.000B. hispanica 31.09± 1.80b 3.58± 0.38d 0.000L. dentata 80.83± 4.91c 77.88± 1.60a 0.377E. altissima 17.92± 1.25b 30.17± 1.09c 0.000Means that not share the same letter per the same column are statisticallydifferent.

Table 6: Total flavonoid contents of the aqueous and methanolextracts.

PlantsTotal flavonoid contents (μg equivalent

of quercetin/mg of extract) t-testMethanol extracts Aqueous extracts

C. salviifolius 57.92± 2.46a 56.74± 0.48a 0.461C. oxyacantha 34.80± 2.60c 15.56± 0.79c 0.000B. hispanica 12.36± 0.84e 11.32± 1.39d 0.329L. dentata 41.53± 1.74b 30.00± 0.21b 0.000E. altissima 18.13± 1.05d 13.75± 1.81c,d 0.022Means that not share the same letter per the same column are statisticallydifferent.

4 International Journal of Microbiology

total phenols and flavonoids. ,e results of the preliminaryphytochemical analysis have revealed the presence of phe-nols and flavonoids (Tables 5 and 6). From Table 5, (i) thehighest concentration of total phenols was observed in C.oxyacantha and C. salviifolius extracts while B. hispanicawater extract is the poorest; (ii) L. dentatamethanolic extracthas enclosed as much total phenols as water extract of C.salviifolius; however, the two extracts in this study do notexhibit antistaphylococcal activity (Table 3), and this resultcould suggest that the concentration of phenolic compoundsmay have an impact on the antimicrobial activity; (iii)methanolic extracts of all the tested plants were richer inphenolic compounds compared with water extracts exceptfor E. altissima methanolic extract (P< 0.05). ,is result isprobably owing to the nature and the polarity of solventswhich influence the solubility of phytochemical compounds.For instance, previous studies have shown that the polarityof solvent has a significant impact on the extractabilitycapacities of the phenolic compounds [36, 37]. For instance,methanol is less polar than water, but it is more efficientbecause it can release compounds easily from plant cell thathave unipolar character [38]. Regarding flavonoids (Table 6),the aqueous andmethanolic extracts of C. salviifoliuswere inthe first rank, with an almost equal content followed by L.dentata, C. oxyacantha, and then the other extracts. It shouldbe noted that the aqueous and the methanolic extracts of thefive plants retain the same order in terms of flavonoidcontent except for C. oxyacantha.

Numerous causes may justify the variations of totalphenolics and flavonoid amounts reported in this work. ,evariation of the polyphenolic content of a plant could beinfluenced by different biotic factors (plant species, usedpart, and physiological stage) and abiotic factors (envi-ronment and solvent) which could have an impact on themetabolism of plants [39]. ,us, (i) Rebaya et al. [32] havedemonstrated that the extraction of the leaves of C. salvii-folius using different solvents has an impact on the totalphenols and total flavonoid contents and the aqueous extracthas recorded the highest concentrations of total flavonoidsand total phenols than the ethanolic extract [32]; (ii)Barrajon-Catalan et al. [40] were focused on the plant’sorgan, and they have demonstrated that C. salviifolius leavescontain more phytochemical compounds than the otherorgans; and (iii) Haouat et al. [41] have performed a phy-tochemical screening of the ethanolic extract of B. hispanicaroots, and it was rich in flavonoids, total phenols, alkaloids,and tannins which in disagreement with our results. For C.oxyacantha, Stelmakiene et al. [34] have demonstrated thatthe aqueous extract prepared from the leaves was rich inphenolic compounds and the hydroethanolic extract wasvery rich of flavonoids.

,e phytochemical compound mechanism of action asantimicrobial agents was proposed [17]. ,e methanolicextract prepared from the leaves of C. salviifolius is rich intotal phenols and flavonoids, and these compounds exert aninhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase, acetylcholin-esterase, and superoxide dismutase enzymes necessary forthe bacterial metabolism. Various scientific investigationshave explained the effectiveness of total phenols and

flavonoids against pathogenic germs through a direct actionor through the suppression of microbial virulence factors.For example, it was reported that flavonoids can inhibitsome of bacterial virulence factors, including quorum-sensing signal receptors, enzymes, and toxins that arenecessary for bacteria growth and metabolism [42]. ,eantibacterial activity of different groups of flavonoids can beattributable to other mechanisms such as the inhibition ofenergy metabolism of bacteria, the inhibition of nucleic acidsynthesis, and the inhibition of cytoplasmic membranefunction [43]. In the case of the genus Staphylococcus, it wasdemonstrated that flavonoids have an aggregatory effect onwhole bacterial cells [44, 45]. Our results have also shownthat B. hispanica is poor in total phenols and flavonoids, butit has shown the best antistaphylococcal activity and espe-cially against MRSA which could be owed to anotherphytochemical family or specific active molecule. ,is hy-pothesis is confirmed by the bioguided fractionation assayreported by Aribi et al. [15], and they have isolated the mostactive fraction from B. hispanica Boiss. & Reut. against S.aureus and then identified the main compound as berberinetannate. ,is molecule synthesizes 5′-methox-yhydnocarpine-D (5′-MHC-D) and pheophorbide (chlo-rophyll decomposition products) that are responsible for theinhibition of efflux pump expression in S. aureus through theextrusion of antimicrobial agents from bacterial cells [46].

Since some of the studied plants in the current work arerich in flavonoids, an important point is to discuss the re-lationship between the antibacterial activity and the phy-tochemical compounds to better understand the mode ofaction of these entities. For example, the diversity of theflavonoid family makes it a prominent source of activemolecules. In a recent review, the authors have summarizedthe proposed antibacterial mode of action of flavonoids andstructure-activity relationship, especially for MRSA, and itwas noted that the chalcones showed an interesting effecteven stronger than the standard drugs [47]. Chalcones with alipophilic group such as isoprenoid and methoxy groups atpositions 3′, 5′, and 2′ of ring A are the most potent in-hibitors of MRSA strains [48, 49]. Diverse mechanisms ofaction of flavonoid group were exposed; for instance, bai-calein has been demonstrated to be able to reverse theciprofloxacin resistance of MRSA through NorA effluxpump inhibitory effect, and also the inhibition of virulencefactors of MRSA such as pyruvate kinase could lead to adeficiency of ATP [50]. However, a bioguided fractionationof the active species in the current study is needed evenmandatory to identify the active molecules in order to beable to elucidate the mode of action and structure-activityrelationship.

4. Conclusion

,e methanolic extracts of Berberis hispanica, Crataegusoxyacantha, andCistus salviifolius are themost active againstStaphylococcus strains with MIC values ranging between4.00 and 16.00mg/ml. Cistus salviifolius and Crataegusoxyacantha extracts were very rich in total phenols. ,isevidence emphasizes the role of ethnopharmacological data

International Journal of Microbiology 5

as a framework for the discovery of bioactive compoundsfrom plants. ,e antimicrobial profiles of C. oxyacantha andC. salviifolius leaf extracts may be explained by the highcontent of phytochemical families such as flavonoids andphenolic compounds, while berberine may be the activecompound in B. hispanica. ,e active plants in the presentwork could be a good source for effective molecules used indrugs design against infectious diseases associated withStaphylococcus including MRSA infections. However, othercomplementary and deeper tests are recommended in orderto purify and identify the specific active compounds.

Data Availability

Data used to support the findings of this study are includedwithin the article and also available from the correspondingauthor upon request.

Conflicts of Interest

,e authors declare that no conflicts of interest are asso-ciated with this work.

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